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Alfonso "Fonzie" - Owner at Mills & Honey

Originally from Venezuela, Alfonso is our expert in cycling in Mallorca

featured in Meet the locals Author Ana Hernández, Mallorca Editor Updated

Mills & Honey offer tailored-made cycling holidays all around Mallorca. They can organise everything from bike rental to accommodation and activities, while providing fully personalised holidays that take into account all the needs and desires of their customers.

Alfonso, director of Mills & Honey, is a passionate cyclist and yachtsman. He tells us what is so special about his job and about living and working on the beautiful island of Mallorca.

What brought you to Mallorca?

Boats actually. For about eight years I worked as part of the crew on private sailing yachts around the Pacific, Caribbean and Mediterranean. Mallorca was a constant stop on our way across the Atlantic and on our way back from the Caribbean. Then, one day I decided to find a place I could call home, and I chose Mallorca.

Tell us a little bit about your business, how it started out and where you're based...

The idea behind the business started with a solo cycling trip I did around France in 2010, as well as a group charity ride across the UK from John O’Groats to Land’s End later that year. I discovered then what a great way for travelling and getting to know a new land the bike is. But it’s actually a lot more than that. The scope of the bike is so broad that in that physical journey from one place to another you not only discover new areas, but you also you get to know a lot more about yourself. I really believe that if more people travelled by bike, we would live in a better world.

It was my last year on the yachts when, after a couple of visits to Mallorca, it all clicked and I realised that it was there that I wanted to help people with their cycling holidays. The landscape, gastronomy, diversity and dynamism of this island really caught my imagination, and one day listening to a song by Beck called "Milk and Honey" I got curious about the title. When I found out it spoke about the Land of Plenty and all the good things in life, I loved the wordplay that could be created with Mallorcan windmills standing for the island's landscape and heritage (strong and grounded), and the honey symbolising the products that Mallorcan land yields… so Mills and Honey Cycling Mallorca it was!

What are the best bits about your job / life here?

As I said before, this place is so dynamic and so diverse... From one season to another the landscape and the light change and the whole feel of the place is constantly moving, so Mallorca stimulates you and keeps you curious at all times. I thought that, after travelling non-stop for eight years, it'd be hard to settle in one place, but that hasn't happened at all. There hasn’t been a second here that I've been bored! And just being able to meet people who are here because of their passion for travelling, cycling, gastronomy, wine, etc., and doing it in the middle of such amazing and beautiful land... you just can’t help but feel grateful everyday.

And the worst bits?

Easy, the waves… I miss a good surf every now and then!

What makes Mallorca a special place to be for someone in your profession?

Everything, really. It's no secret that this island is great for cycling. The roads, the terrain, the hills, the variety of the riding and landscape, the little villages and endless places for stopping for a great "cortado"… But also so many talented local and foreign people who live here or visit here often, so many great sporting events like the popular local duathlons and triathlons or big races like the IronMan and Mallorca 312, you feel so stimulated from so many different angles at all times to keep cycling and training and improving yourself… And then you add such a great infrastructure for tourism, lovely little hotels all over the island, delicious and very authentic restaurants, beautiful local wineries and great wines. I start writing about it and I just want to talk more about this place.

What is in store for the future with your business, any exciting projects in the pipelines that you can share with us?

It’s still early days for Mills and Honey. It’s been a great couple of years so far, and the way things are looking this season it’s going to be our best one so far. In the last few weeks particularly, we’ve been working on designing our own cycling jerseys for this season, which has been a super fun process.

In the long term, I think Mills and Honey will slowly and naturally evolve into an active and responsible travel company, rather than just cycling. Handpicking very few places where we can showcase the charms of Mallorca and creating local partnerships so we can offer the same kind of experiences, either by bike or other means, but with the same idea: to enjoy the culture, natural landscape and produce of a place always in an active, healthy and sustainable way.

What do you do on your days off?

I run Mills and Honey as an Autonomo (self-employed), so I work 24/7!

What's your insider's tip for the best beach?

Haha, I'm not telling you ;-) But just go to any beach on the island before April and after October and you’ll most likely think it's the best beach you’ve ever been to.

Do you have a favourite bike ride / route, that you do on a regular basis?

It's hard not to pick one of the 3 great ones (Formentor, Sa Calobra, and the South West Coast) but those are too obvious… Apart from those, Coll de Sa Creu it’s our little local hill for Palma-based cyclists, and those rolling hills around Sineu, Sant Joan, Maria de la Salut and Santa Margalida are just stunning. I love it there!

Where's best for a coffee, or a drink, and a bit of mingling?

I hate to say it but for coffee it has to be an Italian place... Filippo, the ice cream parlour in Cala Mayor. Although on the way from Son Rapinya to Son Vida there’s a Spanish guy who’s super proud of his coffee and with good reason, that was a great find! For mingling, I would head to The Room in Santa Catalina, a great meeting place serving quality food.

Where's the best place for lunch or dinner here, and why?

On a winter weekend I’d head to Caimari and have lunch at Ca Na Toneta with the three Solivellas sisters, great food and such charming venue… of course, you’d say, it’s run by three lovely women! For dinner Santi Taura in Lloseta is the best in the island in my opinion. But good luck getting a table there ;-)

If someone was coming here for the first time, what would you suggest they absolutely must do or see in resort?

Wednesday’s farmers market in Sineu. Rural, authentic, cool and such a great laugh, really a must see. Find your choice of local produce and go for a picnic in the underground cellar with their wine

What's your tip to escape the crowds in the summer?

Cross your legs, touch the tip of your index fingers and thumbs, and chant oooooooommmmmmm!!!!